Conventional tongue and groove pliers have two opposing members. The first member has a jaw on one end, a handle on the other end, and an elongated slot therebetween. The second member also has a jaw on one end, and a handle on the other end. A pin opening is located between the second jaw and the second handle. A pin extends through the pin opening and the slot, and secures the first and second members for rotational movement, so that the jaws can be opened and closed by opening and closing the handles.
The first member has a plurality of arcuate ribs on the side adjacent the second member. The ribs are spaced to define a plurality of open-ended grooves. The second member has a tongue that fits in any selected groove, to adjust the minimum opening between the jaws when the handles are closed, and the spacing between the jaws as the handles are opened.
This adjustment feature makes tongue and groove pliers practical for many applications, but the tongue and grooves are substantially hidden between the members, making it difficult to align the tongue with a selected groove. Thus, there is a need for tongue and groove pliers having a visual aid for alignment of the tongue with a selected groove.